Huge-hitting James Faulkner destroys England hopes

England’s dismal record against Australia this winter was extended today in dire circumstances. Their defeat in the second one-day international was the sort that made it possible to believe they will never again win against these opponents.

Sometime, of course, they will but the chances of doing so on this ill-starred tour receded once more into the far distance as Australia somehow chased down a target of 301 to prevail by one wicket with three balls to spare.

Following Eoin Morgan’s magnificent hundred, the tourists must have felt at last that their sequence of defeats in international matches would stop at six — five Tests and an ODI. When Australia fell to 120 for five that hope would have turned to optimism if not expectation.

But Australia never relented from their purpose and James Faulkner, 12th man throughout their victorious Ashes campaign, struck five sixes in an innings of 69 in 47 balls to win the match.

Gavin Maxwell, the man known as the Big Show, ensured Australia stayed in the match with 54 runs. But the last rites on England’s hopes were performed by Faulkner. He hit the first three balls of the final over for four to record the most unlikely of victories, Australia’s seventh in a row this winter.

Morgan’s sixth ODI hundred was a typical entry in his canon. After an unusual start to his innings he was cautious but busy as he had to be with England three wickets down and again courting disaster. Then he exploded in a joyous array of dazzling and assured strokeplay.

There were six sixes in his hundred. The most memorable was a nonchalant blow over extra cover against the scourge of English batting this winter, Mitchell Johnson. The largest, flying for 97 metres, went into the third tier of the stands at mid-wicket.

Morgan reached his century with a cheeky flip for four over the wicketkeeper’s head. How different it could have been. His innings appeared to have ended barely before it had started when on one, he pulled the occasional left-arm spin of Australia’s captain, Michael Clarke, high on the leg side.

The catch was duly taken but Morgan, the canniest of cricketers, immediately alerted the umpires that Australia had one too few men inside the fielding circle. It was as if he gambled on the shot knowing he could not be out and a no ball was signalled.

Although Ian Bell made 68, a determined innings but among his least fluent, the key partnership for England was between Morgan and Jos Buttler for the sixth wicket. They put on 113 in 68 balls. Buttler struck only three fours and a six in his 49 but played with constant urgency.